In a speech delivered at John Moores University in Liverpool yesterday, Carney said: "Up to 15 million of the current jobs in Britain could be automated over time.

"The fundamental challenge is that, alongside its great benefits, every technological revolution mercilessly destroys jobs and livelihoods – and therefore identities – well before the new ones emerge.

"This was true of the eclipse of agriculture and cottage industry by the industrial revolution, the displacement of manufacturing by the service economy, and now the hollowing out of many of those middle-class services jobs through machine learning and global sourcing."

Amazon's plans could have a devastating effect on the British high street

Carney also called on foreign firms to pay a fair amount of tax.

He added: "Redistribution and fairness also means turning back the tide of stateless corporations. As the Prime Minister recently stressed, companies must be rooted and pay tax somewhere: businesses operating across borders 'have responsibilities … in terms, for example, of payment of tax.'

"They must recognise “the role that they play in local communities and the responsibilities that they have in any country they are operating in to abide by the rules.”

Amazon Go is currently available only for its employees but is expected to be publicly available early next year, the company said on Monday.

Apart from groceries such as bread and milk, the store also offers ready-to-eat breakfasts, lunches and dinners made fresh by on-site chefs and local kitchens and bakeries.

"Amazon Go is a new kind of store with no checkout required," Amazon wrote.